What happens to the plastic in detergent pods?
Hereof, does the plastic on dishwasher tablets dissolve?
While PVA can be synthesized through hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetate), the backbone of PVA is entirely carbon, and therefore cannot degrade via hydrolysis. Just to pile on, these pouches are made of water soluble polymers. They just dissolve slowly at room temperature.
Consequently, what happens to plastic on dishwasher pods?
Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and Dishwashing Pods PVA is a water-soluble, shelf-stable, synthetic polymer. Creating a dishwasher pod's outside coating out of this polymer allows the user to store and use these convenient pods knowing that they'll only dissolve when they contact water.
If the pod is placed on top of a load of clothes, it may not dissolve properly. This can result in streaks and spotting from deposits of detergent left on the wet clothes. Streaking can also happen if the washer is overloaded with clothes and the pod isn't exposed to enough water to dissolve.